Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residents, 2016-2017

Ken Benning

Ken Benning, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northern Kentucky University prior to pursuing a career in nursing. He then completed his BSN from Middle Tennessee State University and has since worked in a variety of medical and psychiatric settings, including Corrections Mental Health. Ken graduated from UAB with his MSN as a psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioner in 2016. He pursued the VANAP-GE residency to further his training as a nurse practitioner and to provide quality care for those who have served their nation.

Jennifer Carpenter

Jennifer Carpenter obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Auburn University prior to pursuing a career in nursing. She then completed the Accelerated Master’s in Nursing Pathway program at UAB in 2013 and began working on the psychiatric intensive care unit at UAB while completing her master’s degree. Jennifer graduated from UAB with her MSN as a psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioner in 2016. She pursued the VANAP-GE residency for an opportunity to further her training as a nurse practitioner and to provide quality, evidence-based care, to the Veteran population.

Mary Lee

Mary Lee obtained a bachelor's degree in PE from UAB in 2003. She enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2007 and served in OIF as a photojournalist from 2009-2010. Mary completed her BSN at UAB in 2012 and began working in the neuro ICU and stroke unit at UAB. She was also commissioned into the Army Reserve Nursing Corps through the UAB Army ROTC program in 2012. Mary Lee graduated from UAB with her MSN as a psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioner in 2016. She is familiar with the VANAP initiative and has participated in the VANAP-Undergraduate program and VANAP- Graduate Education program while completing her BSN and MSN, respectively. Mary will continue her commitment to Veteran's health through the VANAP-GE post-graduate residency. She looks forward to seeking full-time employment at the VA upon completion of her residency. She will also serve as a mental-health NP in the Army Reserve.

Nursing Joins Forces to support Veterans and Military Families

The UAB School of Nursing will join the ranks of hundreds in educating nursing students on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in the coming years.

Today, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will announce a commitment from nurses across the country eager to serve our veterans and military families as well as they have served us. In a broad, coordinated effort, more than 150 state and national nursing organizations and over 500 nursing schools, including the UAB School of Nursing, have committed to further educate our nation’s 3 million nurses so they are prepared to meet the unique health needs of service members, veterans, and their families. Led by the American Nurses Association, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and the National League for Nursing, in coordination with the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, nursing organizations and schools have committed to educating current and future nurses on how to recognize and care for veterans impacted by post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression, and other combat-related issues, in ways appropriate to each nurse’s practice setting.

“Whether we’re in a hospital, a doctor’s office or a community health center, nurses are often the first people we see when we walk through the door. Because of their expertise, they are trusted to be the frontline of America’s health care system,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “That’s why Jill and I knew we could turn to America’s nurses and nursing students to help our veterans and military families get the world-class care that they’ve earned. It’s clear from today’s announcement that the nursing community is well on its way to serving our men and women in uniform and their families.”

“Nurses are at the center of providing lifesaving care in communities across the country -- and their reach is particularly important because our veterans don't always seek care through the VA system,” said Dr. Jill Biden. “This commitment is essential to ensuring our returning service men and women receive the care they deserve.”

In 2009, the UAB School of Nursing and Birmingham VA Medical Center earned the prestigious designation as one of only 15 VA Nursing Academy sites in the U.S. “This partnership focuses on the future by ensuring a highly competent nursing workforce to meet the growing healthcare demands of Veterans and their families,” says UAB School of Nursing Dean Doreen Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN. Dean Harper is one of 20 nursing deans nationwide to attend the launch of the Joining Forces initiative. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Academic Affiliations established the VA Nursing Academy (VANA) in 2007. Over a five year period, this unique program partners VA Medical Centers with accredited schools of nursing across the nation with the aim of providing compassionate, highly educated nurses to care for the healthcare needs of America’s heroes. Specifically, these mutually beneficial partnerships have increased baccalaureate nursing student enrollments, expanded faculty and professional development, provided opportunities for education and practice innovations, and increased recruitment and retention of VA nurses.

The invisible wounds of war, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), have impacted approximately 1 in 6 of our troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq – more than 300,000 veterans. And since 2000, more than 44,000 of those troops have suffered at least a moderate-grade traumatic brain injury. Veterans seeking care within the Veterans Affairs (VA) health system are often treated by health care professionals who have received extensive training in mental health issues. But the majority of veterans in the country seek care outside of the VA system -- they usually visit their local hospital staffed by nurses and doctors in their communities. That’s why today’s announcement will be so significant for our troops and their families. America’s nurses are trusted partners in providing lifesaving and life-sustaining care in nearly every community and every setting where health care is delivered. They can make a dramatic and positive impact on the long-term health of hundreds of thousands of veterans. And they are eager to understand the needs of those who have served, to recognize the warning signs of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, or suicide, and to know where to send them for help.

Nursing leaders have also committed to disseminating effective models for care and to sharing the most up-to-date information on these conditions across academic and practice settings. By working to expand the body of clinical knowledge in this arena and by partnering with other health care providers and institutions, nursing leaders across the country will continue to advance high-quality treatment for these conditions in every community.

Key Commitments Include:

American Nurses Association (ANA): Commits to reaching 3.1 million registered nurses in America by 2015 to raise awareness of PTSD, TBI and depression among veterans, military service members, and their families. The ANA is coordinating a major campaign involving over 150 nursing organizations that will reach millions of nurses on health issues relevant to veterans and their families. Partnering organizations include the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, American Organization of Nurse Executives, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, the National League of Nurses, federal nurses of the military and public health services, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Together with these partnering organizations, ANA will:

Enrich nursing education to ensure that current and future nurses are educated and trained in the unique clinical challenges and best practices associated with caring for military service members, veterans, and their families;

Disseminate the most up-to-date information as it relates to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD);

Grow the body of knowledge leading to improvements in health care and wellness for our military service members, veterans, and their families; and

Lead and advance the supportive community of nurses, institutions, and health care providers dedicated to improving the health of military service members, veterans, and their families.

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP): AANP represents the interests of the more than 148,000 Nurse Practitioners across the country. It has reached out to its members through the creation of a unique Joining Forces section of their website, contacted all Nurse Practitioners and nursing organizations that are AANP group members to ask for their pledge in support of Joining Forces, asked state representatives to contact organizations in their state to render support, committed to publishing a special edition on veterans health in their journal, provided workshops to promote the wellness of veterans and caregivers at its conference, created continuing education programs focusing on issues facing veterans and military families, highlighted veterans’ health during Nurse Practitioners week, and supported research on veterans’ health through their foundation. AANP has formed an ad hoc committee, composed of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense leaders, to focus on promoting this initiative.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN): is making veteran health a priority issue through 2014 and beyond. AACN is committed to working with the nation’s schools of nursing to promote curriculum integration, faculty development, and student clinical experiences focused on enhancing the care of veterans, service members, and their families. Building on its long history of raising curriculum standards and enhancing quality in nursing care, AACN will identify and showcase best practices in nursing education and disseminate information on curricular models to all schools of nursing through Webinars, conference programming, and our online Collaboration Community. In honor of National Nurses Week scheduled for May 6-12, 2012, AACN is offering a free Webinar series to commence work to support Joining Forces available at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/webinars. Reflecting the theme of “Educating Future Nurses to Care for Veterans,” three individual Webinars are planned, including a showcase of the innovative work underway at several VA Nursing Academy sites related to veteran care and faculty development; a panel discussion on creative curriculum approaches to caring for veterans; and a special session on meeting the palliative care needs of veterans, which outlines AACN’s work with the City of Hope on the groundbreaking ELNEC-For Veterans initiative.

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA): is committed to providing support to veterans and their families by providing educational resources to its more than 7,800 members as well as to all nurses across the country. APNA has created a website, www.apna.org/military that serves as a portal to a wide variety of information on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The APNA Annual Conference and its Annual Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute, which together are attended by more than 1,500 nurses annually, will include sections dedicated to mental health issues that are military related. These courses will be converted to podcasts and made available via the APNA eLearning Center which can be viewed or downloaded from the APNA website.

Nursing School Commitment:

Over 500 nursing schools in all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico have committed by 2014 to:

Enriching nursing education to ensure that current and future nurses are trained in the unique clinical challenges and best practices associated with caring for military service members, veterans, and their families;

Integrating content that addresses the unique health and wellness challenges of our nation’s service members, veterans, and their families into nursing curricula;

Sharing teaching resources and applying best practices in the care of service members, veterans, and their families;

Growing the body of knowledge leading to improvements in health care and wellness for our service members, veterans, and their families; and

Joining with others to further strengthen the supportive community of nurses, institutions, and healthcare providers dedicated to improving the health of service members, veterans, and their families.

Nursing Organizations:

Over 150 state and national nursing organizations have committed to the following:

Enriching nursing education to ensure that current and future nurses are educated and trained in the unique clinical challenges and best practices associated with caring for military service members, veterans, and their families;

Disseminating the most up-to-date information as it relates to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD);

Growing the body of knowledge leading to improvements in health care and wellness for our military service members, veterans, and their families; and

Leading and advancing the supportive community of nurses, institutions, and health care providers dedicated to improving the health of military service members, veterans, and their families.

VA Nursing Academic Partnerships (VANAP)

VANAP - Undergraduate

The UAB School of Nursing and the Birmingham VA Medical Center earned the prestigious designation as 1 of 15 VA Nursing Academic Partnership sites in the U.S. in 2009. This unique undergraduate program partners VA Medical Centers with accredited schools of nursing across the nation with the aim of providing compassionate, highly educated nurses to meet the health care needs of America’s heroes. To learn more click here.

VANAP - Graduate Education

With a five-year grant from the Veterans Health Administration to the Birmingham VA Medical Center, the School and Birmingham VAMC expanded into graduate education with the VA Nursing Academic Partnerships in Graduate Education (VANAP-GE) with the goal of placing 48 new psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners into the VA workforce. To learn more click here.

VANAP - Mental Health NP Residency

The UAB School of Nursing also is one of only four sites in the country that has a graduate residency program for mental health nurse practitioners. Also a partnership with the Birmingham VA Medical Center, it too is designed to put more nurse practitioners into the VA pipeline to address the mental health needs of a growing Veteran population. To learn more click here.

To read the Fall 2014 UAB Nursing story on the PMHNP Residency click here.

Veterans CAN!

The UAB School of Nursing is offering a special program, Veterans Career Advancement in Nursing Program (Veterans CAN!), through the Health Research Services Administration (HRSA), to veterans who served as a LPN or medic/corpsman in the military to transition into a professional nursing career and earn a baccalaureate degree in nursing. To learn more click here.

VA National Quality Scholars Program

The Birmingham VA Medical Center is 1 of 8 VA National Quality Scholars Program (VAQS) sites in the U.S. Pat Patrician, PhD, RN, FAAN and Carlos Estrada, MD, MS serve as senior scholars for the Birmingham site. VAQS promotes leadership in quality improvement research and emphasizes interprofessional learning. The program offers fellowships to pre and post doctoral nurses. To learn more click here.

Caring for America's Heroes

Caring for America's Heroes is a distance-accessible elective course designed to increase students understanding of long-term and high-acuity internal and external environmental variables which affect the health of and veterans within the Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA). Knowledge gained in this course can be applied to the care of VHA patients across a variety of care settings.

The UAB School of Nursing and the Birmingham VA Medical Center developed a video which contains three clinically relevant mental health scenarios. The nurses care for veterans experiencing depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental issues on a typical VA medical-surgical floor.

Joining Forces

The UAB School of Nursing joined the ranks of hundreds of nursing schools and organizations dedicated to educating nursing students on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and other unique health care needs of veterans and their families. The Joining Forces initiative was launched in April 2012 in an effort to mobilize all sectors of society to support service members and their families.

VA Nursing Academic Partnerships (VANAP)

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing has been designated a Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnerships (VANAP) by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Academic Affiliations, joining 14 other schools of nursing in the country that have this prestigious designation.

The VA Nursing Academic Partnerships designation means that the UAB School of Nursing and the Birmingham VA Medical Center will work together to train compassionate, highly educated nurses to look after the health care needs of the nation's veterans. It expands learning opportunities for nursing students at VA facilities and funds faculty development opportunities. The BVAMC and the UABSON have had a long standing academic partnership through faculty practice, nursing research, and clinical education. This project will link institutional missions and governance, create a pipeline for the development of VA Nurse Scholars and faculty, and develop shared clinical, educational, and leadership opportunities for students, staff and faculty in the BVAMC and UABSON.

Building on long-standing relationships, the BVAMC and UABSON will work jointly to:

Increase the recruitment and retention of baccalaureate nursing students and graduates into the VA nursing workforce;

Increase the number of undergraduate nursing students educated about the population specific needs of veterans through an innovative curriculum emphasizing high quality, culturally competent care for veterans and their families;

Develop and expand faculty expertise among VA masters-prepared nurses and UABSON faculty with a focus on the delivery of health care for veterans;